Getting punched in the face by art

Last summer, Pantelis “Pun” Nikolaides noticed this self-expression void in MMA/boxing products and responded by founding Fight the City, a company that collaborates with artists and designers to create unique fight gear. His team’s latest venture was “Fight for What’s Right,” a showcase of custom boxing gloves hand-painted by artists such as Kiyoshi Nakazawa, Cope 2, and Borbay.

“We gave them the gloves and told them to just have fun,” Nikolaides said. “We’re trying to do something new and collaborative that’s going to change an industry. We want to flip it on its head.”